Unlikely Friends
by Scotch-Irish Rose
Summary: A short vignette displaying Ralph and Vanellope's relationship.


Unlikely Friends

_Ralph and Vanellope couldn't be happier with the friendship they share.  
_

* * *

Vanellope's hazel eyes glinted in the colorful, flashing lights beaming from the screen across the hall. A huge smile soon became plastered upon her face, and Ralph, despite his gigantic size, sensed his heart become as light as a feather. To see this little girl before him with such a delighted grin gave him a joyful satisfaction.

"Okay, Stinkbrain, you were right," Vanellope sighed dreamily, scurrying up upon his shoulder and perching there. "This _is _pretty cool."

"I told you it would be," he replied casually, lacing his fingers behind his head in a relaxed fashion. Vanellope climbed atop his head as he did so. She made herself comfortable, lying down on her stomach and propping her head up with her hands. "If only you'd listen to somebody once in a while." he added.

He smirked at the roll of her huge, ironically angelic eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Just shut up and enjoy the show."

Ralph boomed with a chuckle, and the companions sighed in unison. The setting of the orange evening sun created a picturesque view of the entire candy kingdom. The glistening frosting and glittering sprinkles topping the many mountains glowed in the dimming light. In the distance, the duo could easily view _Space Duel _from across the arcade, and were in awe over the many bright, geometric shapes dotting the screen.

"Hey," Vanellope piped up, "Did ya see my race today?"

"Sure did," was Ralph's reply.

"I was tearing up that track!" she boasted, making a series of engine noises and squeaks. Ralph could only smile with fondness.

As the words _game over _became donned upon the screen and began blinking hypnotically, the player who had been controlling the game walked away. Several minutes ticked by before the lights of the arcade flicked off, and everything grew quiet. All was calm.

Ralph was instilled with such a serene feeling that he hardly noticed Vanellope's protests ringing in his ears.

"Aw, man! C'mon!" she groaned, her lower lip protruding in a pout. Ralph observed her as she slid down his torso as if he were a makeshift piece of playground equipment, and she landed on the ground, sitting down and crossing her legs and arms.

"What?" Ralph questioned, holding up his hands in defense. "There's nothing I can do about it, so don't gimme that look. Show's over."

Vanellope rose to her feet and spun around, kicking up sugary dust as she lamented. "I hate it when everybody leaves. It's so boooorrrriinnnggg." she whined, folding her arms indignantly once more.

Ralph gazed up at the screen once more before smiling with empathy. "Cheep up, kid, we can watch just as good a show tomorrow, you'll see."

Vanellope turned her head to gaze at him, her presently frustrated hazel orbs brightening ever so slightly. "Ya really think so, big guy?"

Ralph nodded. "I know so, kid." As she offered him a toothy grin, he smiled back at her. He'd never had a closer friend before. This little kid had turned his life around. He no longer felt unwanted or lonely. He had her.

Vanellope was confident that she could take care of herself, but he had taken on the role of her caretaker and protector nevertheless. He was now Vanellope's guardian, and he would even go so far as to say that he even had a sort of fatherly love for her. His life had purpose.

"If you say so, Stinkbrain," his friend replied hesitantly as she conceded.

Ralph sat up and stretched. "I dunno about you, but I'm beat, kid."

Vanellope quirked a brow with a smirk. "Aw, wittle baby Walph is sweepy?" she mocked, shrieking as her friend, who dwarfed her, snatched her up with a giant, swooping hand. He clasped her with both of his paws in a loose grip as she kicked and tried to resist. Once she recognized her efforts as futile, she folded her arms and glared at him. With a laugh, he placed her upon his shoulder.

"Yep, and wittle baby Walph is gonna put wittle baby Vanewwope to bed, now."

"Oh, c'mon Ralph," Vanellope spoke, wrinkling her nose in disgust at the thought of bedtime. "I'm not tired yet! I'm still wide awake! Five more minutes, c'mon man, whaddaya say? Huh?"

Ralph ignored her pleas. "Nope." He continued his descent of Diet Cola Mountain as she continued to whine. "It's not gonna work, kid."  
Vanellope muttered under her breath as they reached the bottom of the mountain and Ralph slipped inside the cave, where he glanced up at the Mentos stalactites while minding them with caution.

"You never do what I want," she protested, frowning as Ralph laughed.

"What the heck are you talking about? You're spoiled rotten," he replied, gingerly lifting her up by the hood of her jacket and plopping her down on her bed.

"Hmph," she grunted, rolling over and facing away from him.

"Aww, kid. Come on, don't be mad at me." As he sat down on her bed, it creaked and collapsed beneath his weight.

Vanellope snapped her head in his direction and frowned at him. "What a moron..." she grumbled, shaking her head.

"Sorry, kid, I'm sorry. I promise I'll have Felix come and fix it," he offered, taking solace as Vanellope's expression turned neutral.

"Well, I guess you could do that," she mumbled, sitting up and folding her arms, her trademark sign of defiance. "Still not tired, though." She smiled slyly, waiting for him to challenge her and possibly lose his cool.

"Fine, fine." Ralph said, casually reclining on her bed. "I'll just stay here until you fall asleep, then. Hey, this is actually pretty nice." He slowly closed his eyes and feigned a yawn. "Oh, yeah, I could get used to this."

"Hey, hey, hey," Vanellope growled in protest, hopping upon his stomach, "Where am I gonna sleep, you big weirdo?"

Ralph peeked at her by briefly opening one eye. "Beats me," he grunted, sighing in content as he placed his hands upon his chest. Ralph felt Vanellope begin to attempt to shove him out of her nest, with little success. In moments, she was panting and out of breath.

"Ralphhh," she groaned, climbing upon his chest.

"Can't hear you, von Schweetz, I'm asleep." he replied. He heard her huff in exasperation, and he finally made room for her on the bed, scooting over. She quickly took her place at his side, leaning her back against him.

Slowly, he moved his arm and wrapped it around her, and she moved closer to him, using his bicep as a pillow and making use of his giant hand by resting it upon her.

"You win this time, Stinkbrain," she conceded with a soft yawn.

"Better get used to that feeling of defeat, kid." he replied, grinning his Vanellope dismissed his comment with a snippy remark.

"Good night, moron. I love you."

"I love you too, kid."


End file.
